The Summer Heroes

Chapter One: I Just Want to Have Something to Do

I revised the first three chapters, here's hoping they're much, mucho better than the old ones. ;)

Mimi pointed her finger at me, smiling widely. Silver glitters dropped off her face. "No. Freaking no."

I shouldered my satchel, hooking our arms together. A feminine scream soaked the atmosphere. We glanced back and looked away simultaneously, laughing as we did so. "Give me a terrific, pages-long reason, pet."

"One, you're a freaking psychic. I'd be bloody damned if I bet against you again. You emptied my fantastic Prada purse the last time. Two, how much do you want to lose?"

"I've my whole bank account," I nudged her, egging her on with my eyes. I knew I had won when her eyes brightened with a sudden thrill. My best friend couldn't resist cold hard cash. "You've nothing to lose, pet. Truly."

"Absolutely," we stopped in the middle of the granite road. Our schoolmates rushed past us, shouting and chanting the school song. The heat was scorching us all alive, but it only intensified the moment. A guy in a lion mask galloped past us, managing to kiss our cheeks on his way. His followers, all wearing the same masks, ran after him, whooping with excitement. Golden and scarlet streamers trailed behind them, whirling vivaciously in the air.

"Shinjuku wins," Mimi held out her palm, a mad fervour in her mahogany eyes. "Fifty bucks. Oh, throw in that brand new scarlet Gucci handbag and we'll make it a fantastic hundred bucks."

"I love my school and Yagami scores the winning goal," I laid my palm on top of hers. We'd both spent the whole of last night painting tiny gold lionesses on our hands and were having a trying time trying not to scratch at them. "Another fifty bucks. You are going to buy me a box of Ferrero Rochers."

"The very, very best," she beamed, shaking my hand. "My pedicures, manicures, everything, all on you, darling."

"I'd love to," I smiled. "You won't be seeing any guy for a month."

"You're going to dye your hair a bright hideous purple, sweetheart."

"Your yoga master's going to miss you, pet."

"I've got tents of men waiting for me, darling. I don't worry about losing one teeny lad."

"Ah, thanks for reminding me. They have to go, too, pet."

A girl, whose face was painted with a big 'I love Odaiba' temporary tattoo, came up to us and screamed in our ears. We broke away, our eardrums throbbing like mad. I laughed while Mimi looked on, annoyed. The girl was still jumping up and down with the crimson banner she'd made the night before, the one that was too long for her to hold up on her own.

'ODAIBA'S LIONS READY TO ROAR'.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she was still jumping, trying to shout in Mimi's ears. Mimi, wisely, held her at arms' length, still annoyed. "We will so dig this, they are so going to pay for even thinking of challenging us. This will be the easiest match of all, we are the champions!"

"C'mon, you cheer girl," I calmed her down. "We've terrific footballers to cheer for. Who are they without us?"

"Who are they without us?" the girl, Hikari Yagami, shouted. Some people shouted along with her, roaring as they rushed past us.

"Nothing, indeed," Mimi hooked her arm with mine, smiling. "Let's go, troopers. We'll bloody die on the battlefield and go to heaven!"

"Paradise," I agreed with her. "This is our day, pets. We own today."

We marched together with the others, singing and chanting along. Caramel sunshine streaked across our sight and a roaring noise hollered in our heads. We burst into the field, scattering away to our particular posts. We broke away from the others, laughing as we ran to the other side of the field, where other cheerleaders were already trying to do parts of the routine. Mimi drove me to the ground as we got out the way of one cheerleader, who fell down from the top of the human pyramid, screaming as she did so.

"Where were you girls?" a violet-haired girl looked down at us, panic spotting her face. She was shaking slightly, squeezing her arms. "This is big, you can't just come late, and the match's already started, girls. I didn't know what to do without you, captain, I mean I tried, but I suck," her attention swivelled to Mimi, who was smoothing down her scarlet-and-gold uniform. "This is the forth time that girl fell down, she's totally hopeless," Mimi smiled reassuringly at her, taking her shoulders and directing her away. We stole smiles at each other, laughing.

"She's totally excited, that chick," Hikari grinned, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. "She so can't wait to cheer, we had to hand her over to the nurse during English yesterday."

"It's great that she loves this," I pulled up my long stocking, smiling. I had been doing this for years and it's terrific to be reminded how I love doing this by first-timers. Mimi and I sweated profusely during our first time, nearly tumbling down the human pyramid. Ah, hey. We actually fell down the pyramid for real, taking the whole squad with us. "Let's make sure she still remembers how to do the splits."

"Hey, you're alright?"

"Taichi, Taichi, Taichi!" Hikari jumped into her brother's arms, shaking his hair like mad. "You're so going to win this! The fortune teller said so!"

"That's cool," he put her down, glancing at me. I barely knew Taichi Yagami, but from rumours, I heard he was a nice guy. Decent. Not hormonally-enthused, or even physically-challenged. He was subtly cute.

"Hey," I smiled as Hikari dashed away, leaving me with her brother.

"Hello," he ruffled his hair, looking down at his feet. "I heard you make a bet? As usual?"

I couldn't help grinning. "Yeah, we did. It's a tradition for us, making idiotic bets, daring each other over the edge, torturing each other. Last time Mimi actually made everyone think she was going to jump off the school's building. Great stuffs."

As I talked on and on, he looked up, his eyes softened and shadowed. His mouth was closed but smiling a bit. "Yeah? Pretty good."

"Great stuffs," I was staring. His smile was something.

"Eh, do I have something on my face?" he said, puzzled.

"No. I just think…"

"Hm? You think what? I suck at football?"

"No, I truly think you're wonderful at kicking balls." God. What did I just say? "I'm thinking of something else."

There was that smile again. "Yeah? Like what?"

"You have a great smile."

For a bit, neither of us said anything. People roared past us, excited for the coming match. I heard the coach screeching his name and only then he whirred into motion. He turned around abruptly, making as if to run across the field towards where his friends were playfully mocking his name.

"Tai, we love you! Come to us!" His team mates chorused loudly, earning the crowd's laughter. His grin dragged the corners of his mouth upwards and he turned to me, starting to sprint.

"We are not gays."

I laughed. "That's good to hear."

There was a reddish tint to the tips his flushed cheeks. "Nah, we're just…letting off some steam. De-stressed, detoxed, you know."

"I know you're cute," I said honestly.

His eyes glistened in the brilliant sunshine. "Listen, I can help you win the bet."

"That would be cool."

"I'd like a kiss too," he said before turning around and leaping across the field, never looking back. I stood there, momentarily surprised. Miyako brushed past me, glancing briefly before she strode off to command a pair of freshmen.

Hikari jumped into me, roaring. "They will do it!"

When I looked back at the stands, true enough, the guys Hikari was courting a few minutes ago had stood up and were jumping up and down, glasses threatening to fall off and their eyes damp with excitement. I laughed, hugging Hikari. I chose to forget what her brother just asked of me, only for a while.

"Hey, go to the principal and kiss him into giving us a day off, pet," I coaxed Hikari.

Her eyes gleamed. How similar to her brother's. "Oh, that will be so, totally, like hell easy."

"You're a charm," we walked back to the other cheerleaders as the whistle went off. We erupted as a whole, cheering and shouting like mad. High school couldn't be better.

I stole a glance at Mimi. She tilted her head, raising her eyebrow in dare. I smiled as a yes and then turned to look at the guys on the field. As chance would have it, Taichi ran past me, his slight smile so absolute and final. His eyes glistened in the sunlight.

I raised my pompoms, rooting like mad for him.

It's easy to predict what happened in the next hour. We won, Mimi dumped her Shinjuku boyfriend and was asked out by a pair of Shinjuku twins, Hikari made out with her very own 'cheerleading squad', Miyako cried into her hair until it took twenty guys to help her calm down and Taichi scored the only goal in the match. Of course.

After we had finished screaming into each other's ears and hugging the lives out of everyone, he came up to me, his hands thrust into his pockets.

He gave me that smile. Everyone around him was busy, trying to get a piece of the newly-crowned champion but he ignored them. His hair was soaked with orange juice, our team's supposed lucky charm. The skies were dark with the approaching darkness, smeared with dusty mauve and the lightest of burning tangerine.

I raised my scarlet-and-gold pompoms to his face, pinching his cheeks. I laughed when he swatted my hands away, smiling sheepishly. His skin glistened with sweat and newfound triumph, his wet jersey clung to his body desperately. He may have won, but it clearly took him all of his strength to do so.

"You realize you just won?" I held out my pompoms at him.

"I think you just won a bet," he stated calmly.

"You know you're cute."

"Thanks," he looked down at his feet.

Of course, of course, I kissed him. Hey, it was what he wanted.

Notes: If you like it, why not review it? If you don't like it, review it, too. I like hearing from you. ;)